Field of the Invention
Embodiments of the present invention generally relate to a system and method for sharing real world experiences through a computer network and in particular a system and method for sharing these experiences through sharing semantic and non-semantic media content via a computer network.
Description of Related Art
People who are active in social media via a global computer network, e.g., the internet, tend to enjoy expressing where they are and what they are doing at all times and at any given moment. However, even though social networks have long provided a “check-in” application for their users at different locations, this method does not capture the entirety of the user's experience at a particular private or social establishment such as a bar, restaurant, coffee shop or other place of business. In addition, fellow consumers in the user community do not currently have an easy way to check out the past or current experiences of other likeminded social networkers who may frequent the same locations or like the same object or brands of products or services.
Visual social storytelling is a growing trend with multiple mobile image sharing applications in the market, most notably in recent times, for example, Instagram. People tend to have a need to express themselves by way of experiences and often times by way of media files or multi-media files. They have always been amused by photography (or digital imagery or video) and the ability of a photograph or video semantic or non-semantic, i.e., with or without audio or text, to capture the experience of a friend or acquaintance at any given time at any given location and enjoying a certain establishment, or object, or branded product/service.
Equally important, from the perspective of a business owner, or object, or brand manager, it may be difficult to engage customers in the social networking environment and create establishment, or object, or brand loyalty in a fun and positive way when those would-be customers may not be viewing or hearing traditional forms of advertising (e.g., TV, radio or print ads) for the majority of the day. For example, as mentioned above, new generations of customers are on-the-go and mobile, using their mobile devices to communicate, but patronizing certain business establishments, products, etc., just the same. Also, there is no centralized way to efficiently manage the “check-ins” at a particular location because social networks are generally separate entities with separate motives. That is, there is no centralized platform within the many social platforms for businesses to promote their object or brands and establishments to consumers.
Consumers, hereinafter also referred to as “users,” have to find their own ways to describe where they are, what they are doing, or what object or brand they are interacting with, in their digital images, e.g., photographs and videos, or audio files. In addition, object or brand companies and business establishments have no way of making it attractive to this new social network consumer by creating engaging visual “themes” or other representations of their object or brands, locations, and the stories they have to tell.
Finally, there are many social networks with many different check-in widgets confined to each particular network with no way for businesses to “efficiently” manage a particular user of a particular networks experience. If an establishment or object or brand wants to give a history or share other details specific to their object or brand (and likewise to their location), there is no centralized way of doing so because social networks are separate entities with separate motives.
An overall centralized record or file has no way of being generated with existing networks that can give insight for visitors of a location, or object, or brand of past recorded experiences with that object or brand or location (or experience in general of itself). There is also no known means to capitalize on such user experiences from the business establishment, or object, or brand company's perspective.
Thus, there is a need for a more effective system and method that may appeal to both social network consumers and businesses alike in the social networking environment or any other computer networking environments, where users can express themselves by identifying one or multiple object(s), or brand(s), or locations and providing relevant and enticing first-hand experience-based information along with that object, or brand, or location in order to provide more powerful, efficient, and effective content for social networking purposes, object or branding purposes or both, either by the user's own choosing, one or more past user's choosing, or in conjunction with a marketing administrator.